For the past month and a half, the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and Cincinnati Reds have been in a gridlock for first in the NL Central. It’s early September, and the NL Central race is looking more intense than ever. St. Louis trails Pittsburgh by one game, Cincinnati trails by 3.5, and the Pirates and Reds will face off against each other in six of the last nine games of the regular season. Can this race get anymore intense?
Last night answered that question: yes it can.
After dropping the first two games to the Reds and falling a game behind Pittsburgh, St. Louis needed a win. And after 46 used players combined in 16 innings, the Cardinals got that win. Some may thank Carlos Martinez for shutting the Reds’ bats down in the end. Some may thank Carlos Beltran, who tied the game to bring it to extras. But in the end, the true hero of the game was first baseman Matt Adams.
Why Matt Adams? Because he quite possibly might have just saved the St. Louis Cardinals’ season. In the 14th inning, Adams broke his 0-for-17 slump and hit a 394-ft home run off of Reds’ reliever Alfredo Simon. Unfortunately, the Cardinals wasted the chance to end the game there. In the 15th, both teams were held scoreless backed by strong relief pitching from both sides.
In the 16th inning, the game once again rested in the hands of Adams. And once again, he delivered with a 403-ft shot into the stands, becoming the first Cardinals player to hit two extra inning home runs. Martinez was able to shut the Reds’ offense down one last time in the bottom of the 16th, and the Cardinals are now within a game of division leading Pittsburgh as their final series against the Pirates approaches.
Entering his second year in professional baseball, Adams is hitting .269 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI’s this season, all career highs. And his two home runs came at the most important time, in one of the most important games. Had the Cardinals lost last night, Cincinnati would have pulled to 2.5 games of the Pirates, and would have been a half game behind St. Louis for second place.
Adams has the potential to become a major power hitter in his career. Not only does he have the physique of a true power hitter, he can baffle opposing fielders with his opposite field shots, and does possess strong baserunning speed for a 260 pounder. With Beltran still producing strong numbers, along with the improved bat of Yadier Molina, Adams could fit well into the lineup that is ranked in the top 5 of the big leagues in hits, runs scored, and batting average. And since he is only 25 years old, Adams will have plenty of time to develop into a more consistent hitter.
With the win last night, St. Louis reached 80 wins (80-59) while Cincinnati dropped to 78-62. Tonight, the Cardinals have a chance to tie the series, with Lance Lynn getting the nod against Tony Cingrani.
The NL Central race has been one that hasn’t lost steam since the All-Star Break, and determining who will be the winner might very well come down to the final game of the season. Matt Adams proved last night that the Cardinals are far from finished this year, and if St. Louis has proven anything over the past decade, it’s that you can never give up on the St. Louis Cardinals.
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